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Wow what a bad decade that was. I was born in 1990 so I was a child during those years but even I knew how bad we were. So glad that's ancient history.

That decade included the 0-21 stretch that Brad Scott dug us into, and
took Lou Holtz to dig us out if it. As bad as that decade was, there were
other decades in my lifetime ( 1965-present) that had a stretch of games
that made the 90s look good. Makes me REALLY appreciate what Coach Spurrier
and his staff has done for this program now.

After JoMo died the air came out of our program. Tanneyhill helped to give us a little bit of it back by his play and our first bowl win. Lou and Spurrier have led us up the mountain and though we aren't at the peak (yet), we can see it from here!

All the scars and ridicule and heartache that generations went through with precious little to cheer is what makes our fans different from everyone else.

I find it a badge of honor. It is so easy to be born into a program that has won for decades before you were born and continued it, more or less until the present day, but it warps the appreciation of simply winning and how much work goes into it.

Some may pity our fan base. In reality, I feel some pity them. Hell, yes, I want titles and glory, but to do it without cheating, with a small state population, and with all the backstabbing we have suffered, makes any success like finding water in the desert. It sustains and invigorates. We can laugh at the storied programs that have a down year or two, knowing they could not begin to bear what we have born. Many years ago, a poster on an Auburn was discussing SEC fans and alluded to how staunch we have been with so little in return. He dubbed us "The Iron Fans" of football. Very astute.

I think we can now begin to look at USC football history as Before Spurrier and After Spurrier. The gap is that wide.

__________________"When I was young I looked like Al Capone, but I lacked his compassion." - Oscar Levant

For those old enough to remember the pre late 90s Gamecocks, DON'T
EVER FORGET THOSE DAYS !! .... Remembering those days make what
we are going through now Sooooo much sweeter.

It wasn't just losing and by how much, it was lots and lots of bad play. We had guys that could play above their heads for part of a game and then fall apart when we needed them to step up. No disrespect to the guys who worked hard on those old teams, but we have noticeably better players now and it shows.

It wasn't just losing and by how much, it was lots and lots of bad play. We had guys that could play above their heads for part of a game and then fall apart when we needed them to step up. No disrespect to the guys who worked hard on those old teams, but we have noticeably better players now and it shows.

That's what made a lot of those years for me, difficult to sit through. We had
a few guys who played whistle to whistle, and then some who gave up at the
first sign of adversity. When the entire team would show up and play, there
was some good football to watch, even in losing causes, but in those stretches
of sub 6 win seasons, I wish the entire team had just not gone out on the field
rather than watch 5-6 players play until they collapsed, and the rest of the
team had folded the tent and packed it in early in the first quarter.

I makes me really feel good especially this season, seeing a bunch of young
kids (especially on defense) who weren't experienced and unsure of themselves
play their hearts out game after game early in the season, make a lot of
mental and fundamental errors, but still go hard for 60 minutes and then
watch it all come together and those guy's talent come into play later in
the season. ..... Never gave up, never gave in and never left a team mate
out there alone to do it all.

I makes me really feel good especially this season, seeing a bunch of young
kids (especially on defense) who weren't experienced and unsure of themselves
play their hearts out game after game early in the season, make a lot of
mental and fundamental errors, but still go hard for 60 minutes and then
watch it all come together and those guy's talent come into play later in
the season. ..... Never gave up, never gave in and never left a team mate
out there alone to do it all.

So well said.

Aside from recruiting I think this is what the Spurrier legacy will be years from now. We play like a team, next man up, if you break a rule you sit. Discipline and team first mentality that we had lost, and Spurrier struggled for a while to bring it back here.

That, and of course, swagger. I so enjoy other teams and fans hating on us now.

That's what made a lot of those years for me, difficult to sit through. We had
a few guys who played whistle to whistle, and then some who gave up at the
first sign of adversity. When the entire team would show up and play, there
was some good football to watch, even in losing causes, but in those stretches
of sub 6 win seasons, I wish the entire team had just not gone out on the field
rather than watch 5-6 players play until they collapsed, and the rest of the
team had folded the tent and packed it in early in the first quarter.

I makes me really feel good especially this season, seeing a bunch of young
kids (especially on defense) who weren't experienced and unsure of themselves
play their hearts out game after game early in the season, make a lot of
mental and fundamental errors, but still go hard for 60 minutes and then
watch it all come together and those guy's talent come into play later in
the season. ..... Never gave up, never gave in and never left a team mate
out there alone to do it all.

I too know what the old days were like. The crap we caught from Clemson after their national title was bought. The heartbreak of the loss to Navy.

We have come along way. I never thought I would see 3 11 win seasons. But three in a row... WOW... We still have a ways to go. But to think of where we have risen from. It is mind blowing...

My only wish is that the Good Lord will let me stick around long enough to see the National Title Trophy lifted in WB.

I too know what the old days were like. The crap we caught from Clemson after their national title was bought. The heartbreak of the loss to Navy.

We have come along way. I never thought I would see 3 11 win seasons. But three in a row... WOW... We still have a ways to go. But to think of where we have risen from. It is mind blowing...

My only wish is that the Good Lord will let me stick around long enough to see the National Title Trophy lifted in WB.

Cockybusiness, I'm with you. I'm an 81 grad who got to where I didn't know if I'd ever see this kind of success. So many heartbreaks.

While Lou did great I guess the expectations were so high that he could never fulfill them. The events when he left just took the air out of me.

My hopes were so high when the HBC took over. I worked in Florida for years while he was there and saw how he not only lifted a program that had never won much, but also lifted a fan base. The middle years of his reign here kind made me wonder if we would ever get to the elite level.

He persevered, we believed, and now we have an elite program. No we haven't won the SEC, but we are a legitimate contender every year. Georgia and Florida fans fear and hate us. UT's upset win over us is their biggest win in years....years ago it wouldn't have been a big deal to them. We are threat to go undefeated every year and we can play with anybody, anywhere, any week.

We own Clemson and they know it. Their fan base doesn't even expect to beat us anymore.

Maybe the biggest thing is that next year the SEC Network, who could pick any body and any game, opens their doors in Columbia South Carolina. Who would thought that ten years ago.